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The U.S. ramped up its fight against Caribbean drug cartels Monday as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine touched down in Puerto Rico to bolster military operations.
Puerto Rican Gov. Jenniffer GonzĂĄlez-ColĂłn and First Gentleman Dr. JosĂ© YovĂn Vargas welcomed the pair, framing the visit as the Trump administrationâs show of support for troops training on the island.
“We thank President Trump and his administration for recognizing Puerto Ricoâs strategic importance to our national security, and for their commitment to combat drug cartels and the narco-dictator NicolĂĄs Maduro,” the governor said. “We fully support America First policies that protect our borders and fight illicit activities in defense of the American people.”
The meeting took place at Muñiz Air Base in Carolina, outside San Juan, and drew top brass including Puerto Rico National Guard Adjutant General Carlos José Rivera-Romån, Public Safety Secretary Brig. Gen. Arthur Garffer, and other senior military leaders.
Hegseth addresses a formation of U.S. troops at Muñiz Air Base in Carolina, Puerto Rico on Sept. 8, 2025, amid an expanded military buildup in the Caribbean. (Credit: Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonzålez-Colón)
Hegseth spoke to nearly 300 soldiers at the base, thanking and describing them as “American warriors.” The secretary of war also provided affirmation that those serving in the Armed Forces will be the best equipped and prepared in the world.
The visit comes as the U.S. military expands its naval footprint near Venezuela, part of President Donald Trumpâs push to choke off drug flows from Latin America.
Naval and air assets have been dispatched to confront traffickers and secure key maritime routes, with some already used this week against alleged narco-terrorists.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth greets service members at Muñiz Air Base in Puerto Rico on Sept. 8, 2025, as the U.S. intensifies operations against regional drug traffickers. (Credit: Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonzålez-Colón)
Last Tuesday, Marines hit a vessel in the southern Caribbean Sea that was allegedly ferrying members of the Tren de Aragua gang smuggling narcotics to the U.S.
While the U.S. military has long worked to counter cartel and international gang organizations beginning in the late 1980s, the strike killed 11 alleged members of Tren de Aragua â which the Trump administration designated as a terrorist organization in February â marked a definite shift from previous seize and apprehend operations.
President Donald Trump has made it clear since his first administration that he strongly opposes Maduroâs regime and even announced a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY âTHREATâ OFF VENEZUELA
Video footage showed the vessel shortly before it was destroyed. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Hegseth has also sent major firepower to the regionâincluding the USS Iwo Jima, USS Lake Erie, USS Jason Dunham, USS Gravely, and USS Sampsonâto hunt criminal networks and narco-terrorists.
Trumpâs decision to deploy U.S. troops off of the South American nation prompted Maduro, last Monday, to decry the move as an attempt to seek regime change and said, “Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.”
Against that backdrop, GonzĂĄlez-ColĂłn cast Puerto Rico as Americaâs frontline in the regional crackdown.
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“President Trumpâs leadership in the fight against narcotrafficking places Puerto Ricoâour nationâs Caribbean borderâat the forefront of our security and interests,” GonzĂĄlez-ColĂłn added. “For the first time, I believe we are confronting the problem at its root, striking directly at the source of the drug flow.”
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